magiqcam - new gimbal
 

hi all,

just open up the parcel send by john and to my surprise, it is a totally new gimbal (look closer to a real steadicam gimbal now). very solid, slightly lighter, with a new handle and a shorter upright post. haven't got the chance to try it out yet.

for those who are still waiting for their rig, i would say, its worth the while.

ed

Ed, you can't just tell us without showing some pics. You are killing the suspense. ;)

will post some pics soon. the gimbal assembly no longer look like a glidecam v16 but more like the steadicam version. the gimbal is still fix though.

ed

That is something worth seeing...

charles,

here is the link to some pics of magiqcam new and old gimbal assembly - http://visualline.7p.com/magiqcam_new_gimbal.html

pics are not of very good quality though. if you want to see different angle of the gimbal, just let me know.

ed

Not bad. Now you see why they are increasing the price. A big plus. It was definately worthe the wait. Congrats Ed.

Are you going to keep the pics on this link or are you going to take them off? I would like to show the to the members at HBS.

Good looking gimbal. How much has the price increased on the system?

the pics will be there.

the new price on ebay is $18++ without the hard case if i'm not mistaken. it was selling for $15++ before with hard case.

one question - after balancing with the new gimbal and have it mounted on the arm, the sled tend to tilt to the right. what could be causing this? appreciate all the help.

ed

Not sure what you are describing, Ed. You say that you have balanced the rig but yet it is falling to the right--under what circumstances exactly?

charles,

well, first the sled with the camera will turn to the right and slowly tilt toward right. tried balancing again but it indicate almost to center. when i turn the sled on the balancing plate, the spirit level only level at one point. is this normal?

ed

So you are saying that you balance the rig on the stand, then pan it slightly and it loses level? If you then steady the rig, will it level out again or does it stay off level? If the latter, it sounds like a linearity issue with the gimbal and you should let John know about this. If however it can be leveled at any position, but loses level during a pan, this is a function of dynamic balance with the rig requiring you to adjust the components of the sled.

If you have any way of posting a short clip of what is going on, that would be helpful.

hi charles,

i got all the symptom you decribe:
1. "balance the rig on the stand, then pan it slightly and it loses level"
2. "If you then steady the rig, it stay off level"
3. "loses level during a pan"
i'll try to post a video clip sometime next week as my camera is on loan to an associate for a project this week end.

thank you for the help.

ed

Ed, I'm assuming you have a standard drop time going (between 2 and 3) seconds, as a longer drop time will make the rig more prone to acting as you described. That being the case, you definitely have a problem with your gimbal & should let John know right away.

charles,
the drop time was about 5 seconds. the post is at it maximum and so i add a manfrotto super clamp just to increase the weight at the bottom. as a result the drop time improved between 3 to 4 seconds.
you think i should let john know about my problem or should i give it more testing when my camera comes back? i just want to make sure the fault is with me and not the rig. i doubt john will entertain my problem with another part replacement as previously they wanted to refund me for my set instead . not getting much luck trying to break into this steadicam business:(

ed

Ed, sorry to hear about your problems.

5 seconds is a long drop time for a "beginner". See if you can add still more weight (or take something off the top, if at all possible) to get to a 2.5 to 3 second drop.

Then try this:

Balance the rig.
Pan 90 degrees to the right. Let the camera do "it's thing" (hands off, let it settle to a stop). Note which way the rig dips from level.
Pan another 90 degrees (180 from start) and observe again.
Pan another 90 degrees and observe.

Please post results. As long as you have truly balanced the rig, and there are no loose parts that are flopping around and shifting the balance, it should be able to be positioned anywhere in pan and not lose level.